Love and Fire
by butterz09
Summary: AU Bechloe: Beca is a firefighter. Chloe just finished the fire academy and is assigned to Beca's house. Follow their journey as Beca teaches Chloe to be a great firefighter and Chloe teaches Beca that she is worthy of being loved. G!P Beca. Story doesn't completely center around this but does have it. M rating for that reason. Side of Staubrey.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Beca sat lazily in one of the 8 recliners in front of the television. Her phone was propped up on her stomach as she scrolled through her Instagram account. She yawned, fisting her eyes trying to rub out the sleep. It's funny she chose a career that required her to be at work from 7AM to 7AM the next day.

"You look like you could use a pick-me-up." Aubrey said from her place behind Beca's recliner, dangling a cup of Starbucks coffee in front of the brunette's face.

Beca smirked, secretly keeping the excitement at bay. "You're the best!"

She took the cup from her sister's hand and took a gracious sip, letting her eyes close and the scolding liquid roll down her throat. She sighed happily, a content smile playing at her lips.

Aubrey laughed, "Glad you're so easily pleased. You the first on here? Where's the Skipper?"

"I don't know. He's usually here by now." Beca said, taking another sip of her coffee as she pushed the foot-rest down on the recliner and stood up.

The door leading into the sitting room swung open. Aubrey and Beca watched as the rest of the crew started to file into the Fire House.

"Ladies." Luke greeted with a smile as he walked past them towards the bunk room to drop off his bag. Jesse walked in a few seconds after with Bengi hot on his heels; they were both in a heated debate about which superhero would win a fight against each other.

Beca rolled her eyes at their antics. "Nerds."

"Sorry I'm late everyone." Captain Lucas Mayberry said, walking toward Beca and Aubrey, phone in hand. "Had to have a meeting with the Department. Apparently they needed to see if we could house four new Probies instead of one."

"Fresh meat!" Jesse said excitedly and then thought about it for a moment. "Hope they last longer than the last one."

The group laughed. The last probationary firefighter assigned to the house couldn't handle the sight of blood, even if it was from a small scratch. How he became an EMT without seeing blood was beyond them.

"It's sad really, most people think that firefighters only fight fires. About 85% of our calls are all medical related." Aubrey stated matter of factually.

Donald, Lilly, Amy, and CR strode through the door, exchanging good mornings as they walked back towards the bunks to drop off their gear bags. When everyone started filling the meeting room, Captain Mayberry entered the room with a few new faces following close behind.

"Ok everyone, listen up! As you all know, Academy Class 14-02 just completed their graduation ceremony. We have a few more probationary firefighters at our house until SQUAD training is complete. Because we have extra room in our trucks, our standard one Probie will now be four." Captain Mayberry said. "I would like to introduce you all to Chloe Beale, Stacie Conrad, Steven Allen, and Michael Davis. I understand some of you go by nicknames so please state them now."

"Stacie is fine." The busty brunette said with a wave.

"I don't have a nickname so Chloe is good." The redhead said with a bubbly smile.

"I go by Bumper." Steven Allen said with pride as his smirk showed up right after.

"Everyone just calls me Unicycle or Uni. Either is fine with me." Michael Davis stated with a nod.

"I would like to welcome you all to Firehouse 11. Lieutenant Aubrey Mitchell and Lieutenant Beca Mitchell will get you squared away and introduce you to the rest of the crew." He motioned for Aubrey and Beca before walking out of the room to head to his office.

Beca stepped up first. "I'm Lieutenant Beca Mitchell. I'm a Paramedic, in charge of the Engine Truck." She said shaking hands with each of the probies.

"And I'm Lieutenant Aubrey Mitchell. I'm a Paramedic, in charge of the Ladder Truck." The blonde followed suit with her sister and shook hands with the newbies.

"While you are here, you follow orders regardless of how much you think you know. The academy does not make you firefighters. You must earn that title. Do you understand?" Beca asked. A stern look as she said it.

All four nodded with a "Yes ma'am."

Satisfied with their answer, Aubrey directed their attention to the group idly chatting amongst themselves. "Jesse, roll call please."

"Jesse Swanson, EMT/Firefighter, engineer of Engine Truck." He said with his boyish grin.

"Benjamin Applebaum… call me Benji. EMT/Firefighter and engineer of Ladder Truck."

"Luke Bryant, EMT/Firefighter… Engine Truck."

"Amy Wilson. Call me Fat Amy. Paramedic on Rescue."

"Wait… you call yourself Fat Amy?" Stacie asked, obviously confused.

"Yeah! So twig bitches like you don't do it behind my back." Amy answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The probies looked around at one another and shrugged their shoulders while the rest of the crew snickered.

"Lilly Onakomaura. Paramedic on Rescue."

"Cynthia-Rose Dean. Call me CR. EMT/ Firefighter… Ladder Truck."

" Donald Edwards. EMT/Firefighter… Ladder Truck."

"Alright everyone, let's get ready for the shift." Aubrey said to the crew, "You four, follow me."

Aubrey and Beca gave a tour of the firehouse, taking them through the kitchen, laundry room, dining area and lounge, and the weight room. They made their way down the hallway before Beca and Aubrey stopped.

"These are the locker rooms and bathrooms. Guys in guys… girls in girls. If we catch anyone deviating from that, you can kiss your firefighter career goodbye. Got it?" Aubrey asked.

A chores of "yes ma'am's" were said and the leaders moved further down the hall, opening a door and walking through. This lead to another hallway with doors lining the wall on each side.

"Each room has two bunks. You will partner up with a person of the same sex. The last two rooms at the end of the hall are empty. My room is here," Beca stated as she pointed to the first door on the left. "And Aubrey's is here." Beca pointed to the first door on the right. "You all are expected to keep your bunks clean and neat."

"Alright, last stop is the engine bay." Aubrey said, ushering everyone back the way they came and out of the main building.

The newest members stayed quiet, taking in all of the information they were given so far and waiting to hear more.

"This is the engine bay. As you probably figured out during introductions, our house is big. We house an Engine, Ladder, and Rescue. Because Barden has grown in size and population, within the next year, we will also be integrating a Rescue Squad." Beca began.

"As probationary firefighters, you will be continuing your academy training in a job setting. This is your career now. However, as stated earlier… You must earn that title, so for now, you are probies. You will earn the respect of this crew and the rest of this fire department. This next year will not be easy for you and some of you may not make it past the probationary period. But, if you work hard, work together, and can prove yourselves, this time next year you will be able to call yourselves Barden Firefighters." Aubrey finished before moving toward a set of doors towards the corner of the bay.

"This closet is the medical supply storage. I want each of you to find your size medical gloves and put a box of them by your seat in the truck. You will rotate between engine and ladder every shift so you learn both. Red and Bumper, you're on Engine this shift. Legs and Unicycle, you're on Ladder." Beca instructed.

"This closet is for your turn-outs/bunker gear. This holds our crew's gear as well as the other two shifts. When you come in for your shift, you take your gear out and put it on the truck you are riding in. That way if we are out on another call and get called to a fire, our gear is already with us." Aubrey said. "Don't be the idiot that forgets your gear."

"Go set up your gear and then get changed. Your new uniforms should be in your bunks. You have about half an hour before we go shopping for chow."

Aubrey and Beca left the group to go back inside the firehouse. Bumper and Unicycle went to the supply closet to retrieve their personal protective equipment while Chloe and Stacie dropped their gear bags and began pulling out their bunkers to put in the trucks. Once they were finished situating their seats they each plugged in a head-set to the console before going inside to setup their bunks.

Chloe and Stacie opened the door on the left at the end of the hall. The rooms were small but then again they wouldn't be in there much, other than to sleep. Each room had two beds on either wall to the right and left with a nightstand in between. There were six lockers, three at each end of the beds. One locker for each person on the different shifts. Chloe went to the locker that didn't have a combination lock on it and opened it up. She pulled the clean sheets out and placed them on the bed before moving to place her spare uniforms and toiletries into the locker. She stripped out of her street clothes and began putting on her uniform. She pulled her navy blue t-shirt over her head, letting the words, BARDEN FIRE DEPARTMENT cascade down her back. She pulled the front of her shirt down, looking at the right breast pocket and seeing her name, _C. BEALE_, screen printed just above it. She pulled her work pants off the bed and let the legs fall to the ground before slipping into them and tucking in her shirt. She pulled her boots on and dug through her bag for her belt. Once situated , she grabbed her trauma shears and pen light and put them in her cargo pocket. She moved to make her bed last, paying close attention to detail by making sure to crease the edges and ensuring that there were no wrinkles on the sheets.

She smiled proudly, knowing how hard she worked to get to this point. She turned to see that Stacie had done the same to her side of the room and they both fist bump before turning off the light and making their way out to the dining area. Everyone is gathered around the table. Beca is standing at the white board with a dry erase marker in hand as she starts collecting money and writing names down on the board.

"We collect $15 at the beginning of each shift for chow. Aubrey and I got your first shift as a, sort of, welcome to the house." Beca said as she wrote each of the probies names on the board followed by 'Paid.' "Nobody is allergic to anything right?" She asked.

The four probies answered 'no,' so Beca continued. "Cool, well let's get going."

The crew, save for Amy and Lilly, who stayed at the station, exited the main building to the engine bay and climbed into their respective trucks.

"Why aren't Amy and Lilly going?" Bumper asked.

"They stay in case the rescue is called. The ambulance serves other fire houses, not just ours. Sometimes they travel out of our zone to a call." Jesse answered as he climbed into the driver's seat of the Engine. Beca hopped up in the front passenger seat and took her head-set off the hook attached to the computer monitor bolted to the dash. She slipped the ear muffs over her ears and pulled the microphone down in front of her mouth. The rest of the crew did the same as they climbed into their seats and buckled their safety belts. The engine roared to life as the roll up doors arose. Jesse guided the Engine out of the bay followed closely by Bengi in the Ladder Truck.

The crew made their way to the closest supermarket, Jesse and Bengi finding a few spots further out in the parking lot. As the engine cut off, Beca and Jesse grabbed the lime green radios out of the charging station in the center console before exiting the rig. Luke did the same and instructed Chloe and Bumper to do so as well.

They did as instructed, clipping their radios to their belts and following the others into the store. Once they had gathered the necessary items for their meals, they made their way to the register. Luke, Bengi, and Jesse walked over to the Redbox dispenser to pick out a movie while Beca paid for the food. Everyone grabbed a bag before heading back to the trucks.

The crew chatted idly with each other as they drove back to the firehouse. Chloe listened mostly, only adding input when she was asked a question. Bumper boasted about how 'he was one of the best candidates in the academy.' Chloe rolled her eyes. She had hoped that Bumper would drop out of the academy. He had his moments when he wasn't being a complete douche bag but more often than not, he was and it drove everyone else absolutely fucking crazy.

Chloe was pulled from the thought of punching Bumper in the jaw by a distinct call alarm in her head-set. Everyone stopped talking as the dispatcher came on the line. "Engine 11, Ladder 11, Rescue 11… Structure fire at 1358 North Brooks Street. High rise building."

Beca reached over the center console to the radio switch. The radio beeped once in everyone's head-set and she answered. "Engine 11, no emergency." The brunette released the talk button and waited for the dispatcher to respond.

"Engine 11, go ahead." The woman's voice came through the head-sets.

"Engine 11 and Ladder 11 responding to a high rise structure fire at 1358 North Brooks Street." Beca repeated as she flipped the switch for the lights and sirens.

The dispatcher chimed in. "10-4, Engine 11 and Ladder 11 responding."

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**A/N: So for anyone who has read some of my previous stories, I'm sorry about not finishing them. I lost interest in Glee when the writers fucked up the storyline. I probably won't finish those but I do promise to finish this one. This story has been floating around in my mind for a while now and so far I haven't read another Pitch Perfect story with the firefighter theme. So here goes. I'm currently red shirting in the fire academy at my college and I go on a lot of ride-alongs. I'm a nationally and state certified EMT. For the most part I know what I'm talking about so I will try to make this as realistic as possible. If there is something you don't understand or I didn't explain it well enough in the story, shoot me a review and I'll cover it. I plan to upload the next chapter either tonight or tomorrow. This was just more of an intro chapter to give you a feel of the atmosphere of the daily stuff at the fire house and to help clear up a few misconceptions.**

**I live for reviews. It motivates me to write and upload faster. If you like it, tell me, if you don't, tell me too. Thanks so much!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The radio static silenced and then Beca's voice was heard through everyone's head-set. "Suit up everyone. Red, you're with me, Bumper, you're with Luke. You are a shadow. When Luke and I move, you move. You stay with us. Do you understand?"

"Yes Lieutenant!" Chloe and Bumper said together.

Chloe's heart was racing. The adrenaline shot through her body, heightening her senses and making her anxious. She kicked off her work boots and pulled her gear over in front of her. She slid on her fire boots and pulled up her bunker pants, buttoning the notch and securing it around her waist. She flung her suspenders over her shoulders before she pulled her nomax hood out of the pocket of her pants and tugged it over her head. She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, buckled the clips, and secured the velcro. She pulled the head of her hood back so it was around her neck and reached over her right shoulder and pulled down her helmet. She glanced at the etching of her last name in the back notch before she put it on her head and adjusted the eye protection visor.

Luke's hand reached out to her, a piece of gum pinched between his fingers. "Helps with the nerves." He stated, answering her quizzical look. Chloe took the offered gum, peeling back the wrapper and putting it in her mouth. Luke did the same for Bumper but he smirked and said, "Don't need it."

Luke just shook his head and Beca rolled her eyes. _He's going to be trouble._ She thought to herself.

As Jesse rounded the corner, the high rise that they were dispatched to came into view. Beca leaned forward trying to peer up the front windshield around the roof of the Engine. She quickly noticed smoke venting from the windows and began counting the floors. "Aubrey, I got the 26th story." She said over the radio linked between the Engine and the Ladder truck.

A few seconds later, Aubrey's voice came over the head-sets. "Same. We need to check above and below the fire floor for advancement."

"Copy that." Beca responded to her sister as Jesse came to a stop next to the hydrant in the front of the building. Luke was out of the rig first followed closely by Chloe and Bumper. He rounded the back of the Engine and jumped up on the steel plated shelf. Luke reached up, grabbing the hose bundles and handing them off to Chloe. Beca came around the back to help Luke while Jesse began flipping switches and starting up the pump.

"Gear up, we are going in!" Beca shouted to her crew.

"Engine 11 and Ladder 11 on scene. Requesting additional assistance!" Aubrey said into her radio as she ran over to the engine with her crew in tow.

Captain Mayberry stepped out of the supervisor's vehicle and began updating dispatch and other responding trucks. Amy and Lilly arrived seconds later in the Rescue, getting out of their rig and pulling on their bunker gear and readying their gurney and medical jump bags.

Bengi suited up and began pulling the hose lines off of the Engine truck to connect to the hydrant. Because the ladder wouldn't reach the fire floor, the ladder crew would join the Engine crew during entry and Bengi would remain on ground level and assist Jesse with the pump and hoses.

Aubrey opened the side panel of the rig and began pulling out the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). Everyone grabbed one and secured the buckles before grabbing two hose packs each. Luke, Donald, CR, Beca, and Aubrey took an axe and a halligan from the next compartment, adjusting them to be easily carried and the group headed toward the main entrance.

The crew bypassed the elevators and headed to the stairwell, office workers and bystanders running past them in a panic. Beca flashed back to a moment years ago when she was in the academy. She pictured it like it was yesterday when her instructor was lecturing about what it would be like the first time going to a fire.

_ "Being a firefighter is probably one of the most illogical jobs there is. I'm not talking about the medical aspect of the job… I'm talking about the firefighting aspect. Human nature tells you to run from danger and get away from what is trying to kill you. As firefighters, you are trained to ignore that part of your mind that tells you to run. Because while other people are running out and away from the fire… you are running in!" The instructor said after finishing their first live burn exercise. The first time they had experienced what it would be like to be inside a building, fighting the flames that could surely kill them._

_"You are the ones that bring hope. You are the ones that the community looks to when their world seems to be crashing in around them. You must remain aware and you must remain calm because if people see you panic… they will panic and more people will die. This includes you"_

Beca propped open the stairwell door and began to lead everyone up the stairs.

"Keep up, let's move!" Aubrey shouted back to Bumper and Unicycle who already started to get winded at about floor 21. At floor 24, Beca stopped at the door and removed one of her gloves, placing her hand to the door and gauging for a presence of heat. When she found none, she opened the door and stayed low. She peered in and looked down both directions of the hall. She didn't see smoke but that didn't mean that it wasn't there.

"Luke, take Bumper and sweep the floor quickly. If you find anything, radio for backup. If not, advance up." Beca ordered.

"You got it. Allen on me!" Luke said as he entered the doorway and began searching the floor.

"Everyone else on me!" Beca shouted and ascended the stairs once more.

When they reached the next floor, Aubrey stopped at the door and did the same as Beca had, checking the door for heat.

"It's warm. Everyone back against the wall!" Aubrey said and everyone move out of the way of the door. She put her glove back on and moved to open the door. She swung it open, the heat rushing out to meet everyone. However, smoke and heat were the only noticeable things as no flames could be seen. "Donald, CR, and Stacie… clear the floor and then get your hoses ready and standby." Aubrey said as she moved to follow Beca up to the next floor with Chloe and Unicycle.

Luke's voice called over the radio as Beca reached the door of floor 26. "No fire on 24. Floor is clear of civilians! I have back-up."

"Advance to 27. Sweep and clear. Smoke and heat on 25. We are about to check 26."

"10-4" Luke answered.

Beca checked the door. It was hot and she turned to her crew. "Back up!" She pulled the door open, heat and flames engulfing the wall across from the door. She quickly swung it shut.

"Masks on!" She yelled. Beca, Aubrey, Chloe and Unicycle dropped their hose packs and took a knee. Beca removed her helmet; she reached to her side and grabbed the black pouch attached to her turn-out jacket and removed her mask. She unfolded it and pulled it over her head, tightening the straps and placing her hand over the front opening and breathing in to check the seal around her face. When no air seeped through the sides of the mask she knew she had a good seal around her face. She then proceeded to pull her nomax hood up from her neck and over her head and around the edges of her mask. She replaced her helmet and grabbed the nozzle for her SCBA and brought it up to the opening of her mask. She pushed in the nozzle and turned, locking the mechanism and breathing in. Once everyone was on air, she turned to the door and opened it. Luke passed them as they entered, sending the other crew up to the next floor, dropping down to one knee and masking up with Bumper to go in behind Beca and Aubrey.

"Chloe on me! Quick search and then we come back. You do not leave my side do you understand!" She yelled over the roar of the fire.

"Yes!" Chloe answered, grabbing the halligan that Beca had and followed her in. She stayed low, crawling on her hands and knees down the hallway.

They came to the first door and Beca checked it. She jiggled the handle but the door wouldn't open. Beca stood in a low crouch, turning around and bracing her hands on the door frame. She kicked her leg straight back, sending the door flying in before quickly turning back towards the room and down to a knee in one fluid motion.

"FIRE DEPARTMENT, CALL OUT!" She shouted into the room. When no answer came, she advanced into the room, crawling along the wall and making wide motions in and out from the wall to check for people.

"Lieutenant! I got one here!" She heard Chloe yell from her spot along the other wall. Beca crawled over, leaning down to check for breathing and a pulse.

"She's alive. Take her to the stairwell! The other crews will meet you there!" Beca instructed.

Chloe did as she was told, grabbing the women under her arms and dragging her back towards the door. Chloe stayed as low as she could; she maneuvered around the debris and was mindful to stay clear of the flames that seemed to be engulfing every wall. She reached the stairwell door and dragged the women out. The other responding crews were in the stairwell hooking up their hose packs to the water main nozzle on that floor.

One of the other firefighters came to Chloe, taking the woman off to the side. "I got her!" He yelled before picking her up and starting his trek down the stairwell.

Chloe turned back and ducked down once more and proceeded through the doorway to the fire floor. Smoke filled the hallway, making it almost impossible to see. "Lieutenant!" The redhead yelled in the direction that she left Beca when she pulled the women out.

She picked up the halligan and continued down the hallway towards the end of the offices. She searched along the floor for more survivors but found none. Chloe yelled out several more times and when she didn't receive an answer from Beca she began to panic. She reached the last doorway and yelled out again. Beca answered her, a moment's relief washing over her before reality was back in the form of a raging inferno.

"We need to move now! The smoke is getting thick and we need to knock it down before it flashes!" Beca told Chloe as she crawled around her, dragging another victim by his arms. Chloe reached for his other arm and they pulled the man back down the hall towards the stairwell.

When they reached the door, Luke took the man's arms from Beca and Chloe, pulling him over his shoulder and hoisting the man up on his back.

"Let's put it out!" She yelled to the crew at the doorway, noticing that Aubrey and Unicycle had completed their search. The other firefighter's turned on their hoses and started spraying the flames. Beca and her sister grabbed their equipment and descended down the high rise. They met up with CR, Donald, and Stacie one floor down and began helping them put out the fire on that floor.

As the team advanced in towards the back offices on the floor, they spotted the fires advancement and began spraying low on the flames to extinguish it. Once they were sure that it wouldn't start up again, they exited the floor and started gathering their hose packs.

"Captain Mayberry." Aubrey said into here radio. She waited for the man to answer.

"Go ahead Mitchell!"

"Primary search is complete; 4 civilians located. We have a Par and we're coming out. Assisting crews are putting out the flames."

"10-4."

Once away from the smoke, the crew unlocked the nozzles from their face masks and breathed normal air for the first time since entering the fire floor. As they reached the front entrance, the crew spilled out into the street and returned to their respective trucks and began the clean-up. Chloe looked up and saw that the smoke venting from the fire floor began to die down.

"Nice work up their Probie." Beca said as she put her SCBA in the compartment and removed her mask. Chloe turned to her, a small smile in place at the compliment. "Make sure everything is picked up." She finished as she walked back to the front of the Engine to remove her jacket.

"Yes ma'am." The Probies began the process of rolling the hose lines and getting all the gear packed up. Bumper heard what the Lieutenant had said to the redhead and he clenched his jaw and kept working.

Amy and Lilly loaded their patient in the back of the Rescue, Amy climbing in the rear compartment while Lilly secured the doors and ran up to the driver's seat and began the drive to Barden Medical Center.

"Do you think he will make it?" Chloe asked as she watched the rescue drive away with the man her and Beca pulled out last.

Luke looked out the window of the Engine. "Some live and some die. It's not our job to choose which ones but you have to try and remember that you did what you could. Don't let it eat you up." He said as the Engine pulled away from the building and the crew started the drive back to the firehouse.

Once the trucks were parked in the bay, the crew pulled out their spoiled groceries and took them over to the dumpster. They had been at the fire a little over 4 hours so everyone was tired and hungry. Throwing out food was something that they hated and even more so now that they needed to figure out what they were going to make for dinner.

"Can I get a hand over here?" A pizza delivery guy said holding 10 pizzas that were stack taller than he was.

"Figured you guys would be hungry." Captain Mayberry said as he stepped out of the Supervisor's vehicle and everyone grinned. Donald and CR took the pizza's from the delivery guy and headed inside to the dining area while Captain Mayberry handed over a hundred dollar bill.

A chores of 'thanks Skipper' was shouted as the crew headed inside to dig in. Once everyone had had their fill, they sat around and chatted for a bit to unwind from the day. Once Captain Mayberry stood up from the table the rest of the crew followed and began cleaning up the kitchen. Luke, Donald, Jesse, and Benji headed over to the lounge and popped in the DVD they rented and took a seat in the recliners situated in front of the television. Beca, Aubrey, and CR followed a few seconds later and found a seat with their friends. Chloe, Unicycle, and Stacie were cleaning the floors and taking out the trash while Bumper headed over to the lounge and plopped down in one of the recliners.

"What movie are we watching?" Bumper asked with a smile.

Everyone stopped their small banter and looked at the Probie.

"Can we help you with something?" CR asked.

The rest of the Probies had stopped their work and looked over to what was taking place.

"Uhh.. I thought we were watching a movie?" Bumper asked completely confused.

"We are and once your chores are done then you can too… from the kitchen table." Aubrey stated.

"We already cleaned the kitchen. Why can't I sit here?"

"You mean Stacie, Unicycle and Chloe cleaned the kitchen. And when they are done there are bathrooms to clean, floors to mop, and trucks to wash." Amy said coolly taking the popcorn bowl from Luke as she and Lilly walked through the door.

"As for why you can't sit here… Legs, why is it you three are cleaning and junior over here is sitting on his ass?" Beca asked plainly.

Stacie answered from her spot at the door holding a trash bag. "Because we are probationary firefighters and we do all of the cleaning and cooking. When time allows we study and we most certainly never, EVER sit in the recliners."

"There is your answer."

Bumper stood up, anger and embarrassment flashed across his face as he walked out the door to the engine bay to begin spraying down the trucks. Everyone returned to their movie while Stacie and Chloe smirked at each other before continuing the clean-up.

9 P.M. rolled around quickly and everyone headed to their bunks to get some rest. Chloe walked into her shared room with Stacie close behind.

"Crazy first day, yeah?" Stacie asked as she slipped out of her duty pants and into a comfortable pair of shorts with the Barden Fire Department logo on the right leg. Chloe followed sit and climbed into bed.

"Crazy day for sure. We made it through our first shift though." The redhead said, taking a sip of her water before returning it to set on the nightstand.

"We finally made it here Chlo. It's what we've dreaming of and working towards our whole lives. It still feels so surreal."

"Yeah, but you know it's all been worth it." Chloe said with a smile as she switched off the light and closed her eyes. She fell asleep almost instantly, the exhaustion finally hitting her from a long but exciting day.

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**Boom! Chapter 2 for you! Let me know what you think!**

**Review Review Review! =)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Surprisingly, the crew managed to make it through the night without another call and 7 A.M. rolled around rather quickly. As the relieving shift began to come in, everyone started packing up their gear and storing their equipment that would stay at the firehouse. However, Chloe and Stacie packed up their bunkers in their bags and left for the academy once their shift was over.

"I thought you two graduated already." Mrs. Henderson asked, standing up from her spot behind the reception desk as Chloe and Stacie entered the front office of the Barden Fire Academy.

The little old lady was probably in her 60's but that didn't stop her from practically running the administration side of the academy. She was one of the first female firefighters in the department and when she was forced to retire from that aspect of the job, she began administration work at the academy.

"Hey Mrs. H." Chloe said with a smile. "You know we couldn't stay away for too long."

"I suppose you two want to use The Grinder?"

"If it's not too much trouble?" Stacie asked.

"Oh of course not my dears. The gates are already open. You might have a workout buddy back there and believe me, her workout will have you in the ground by the end of the day." The woman laughed out. "Oh to be young again."

"Thanks Mrs. H. Oh and these are for you." Chloe said as she handed over a tin of fresh chocolate chip cookies and a hand-made quilt. "I know you said that your other one was lost in a move a long time ago. I thought that maybe this one would be close to the one you lost. My mom made it."

The frail woman slowly took the blanket from Chloe, letting it unfold towards the ground. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at the design. It had the Maltese Cross inscribed on it with her name, rank, and old station number. Across the top was Barden Fire Department and at the bottom was a quote… '_All gave some, some gave all._'

"Thank you dear." She choked out as she hugged Chloe. "You have no idea what this means to me."

"Thank you for all of your years of service and all of your help while we were going through the academy."

"Nonsense. You girls worked your asses off. That was your doing. You just keep your nose clean and work hard. You two will be great firefighters one day." She said with a smile. "Now go workout. Just because you graduated doesn't mean you can slack off."

Stacie and Chloe laughed. "Yes ma'am."

The two walked out of the office and got in their car, driving through the gate and around the main building to the back of the property where The Grinder was located. The training facility was huge. Several classrooms were housed in the second building along with the weight room, an engine bay, and the academy training faculty offices. Just behind that building sat The Grinder. This area was where all of the training took place. To the right, about 50 yards out, stood the burn building. It was a 2 story structure, completely concrete with metal shutters and a large garage area. The walls were chard, signifying how much training had been done there. To the far left was the forcible entry training building. This one was a single story structure on one side and a two story structure on the other. It was primarily made of wood and dry wall and resembled a house in most aspects. This one was boarded up in some spots on the walls and on the roof to simulate entry and venting a house on fire.

Directly in the center of the Grinder stood the Tower. This was one of the largest buildings on the property, part of it to help with search exercises and the other, to simulate stair climb and repelling. This building also had char burns outside the windows as well as metal doors and shutters. The entire complex was rigged with gas pipes that could be lit up to simulate a burning building.

Old cars were scattered at the back of the property for accident and recovery training as well as obstacles from the Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT). To the right of the Grinder was a large black-top arena with cones strategically placed for apparatus training.

Chloe smiled as she pulled her car around and parked in a spot by the classrooms. She and Stacie climbed out and popped the trunk to retrieve their gear bags and headed over to the bleachers to warm-up. After their run to get their muscles loose, they stretched and jumped on the calisthenics pad to do some ab workouts.

"You guys gonna get to it or you gonna sit around all day and warm-up?"

Chloe and Stacie turned from their spots to see Beca in her department shirt and shorts. She had a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry Lieutenant, it's hard to break the habit after doing it every day for 6 months." Chloe said as she and Stacie stood up.

"Beca is fine. Never was one for formalities. We just got off shift, so what are you guys doing out here?" The brunette asked as she grabbed her water bottle and took a sip.

"Training. Mrs. Henderson always let us come on the weekends after the college academy classes let out so we could keep working. Figured everything would stay fresh if we continued."

"Well you would be correct. What were you planning to do?"

"Figured we could run through some of the skills course. As much as we could anyway. We don't have a key to the equipment storage so we can't do everything." Chloe said, slightly disappointed.

"Lucky for you I have a key then." Beca smirked as she tossed her the key ring. "Grab the gear and set up the skills course. I'll be back in a minute and we will get started."

Chloe and Stacie smiled with excitement. There were only a few skills they could do from the course that didn't require any equipment so they were ecstatic that they could finally run through the course without having to skip anything. The two probies jogged over to the connex storage container and unlocked the padlock before opening the door. Stacie grabbed 3 pick axes and 3 sledge hammers before walking out of the connex to the proper stations along the course. She dropped the sledge hammers at a busted and run down car then walked the 100 feet or so to the large 10 foot log that was propped up off the ground with chop marks along the top.

Chloe took 3 pike poles over to the ceiling breach and pull racks and jogged back over to the connex where she and Stacie began to grab the high rise packs. These consisted of the flathead axes, halligans, two hose bundles, and two extra SCBA tanks. They took three sets over to the tower and placed them at the bottom entrance to the stairwell. Once this was completed they jogged over to the other side of the burn building and pulled the large tires out onto the pavement. Each tire had a section of hose attached to it so the firefighter could pull it. Once these were positioned in a line they jogged back over to the bleachers.

Beca exited the storage room behind the bleachers with three SCBA's and placed them on their jackets.

"Full tanks, we are going to do this course on air. You will not unhook your regulator between events so conserve your air. Remember to slow your breathing and be mindful that you don't want to burn out early."

"Is it even possible to complete the course completely on air?" Chloe asked. During their academy class, they unhooked their regulators while walking between events and more often than not their low air pressure alarms were going off by the end of the course.

"It is. Like I said, regulate your breathing throughout the course and you will be able to finish completely on air." Beca stated as she pulled on her bunker gear.

Chloe and Stacie shared worried glances as they suited up and walked over to the ceiling breach and pull. Once they were there they released the valves on their SCBA's and put on their masks. They checked the seal, pulled their hoods over their heads, and replaced their helmets. They removed the pike poles from their hooks and stepped inside the rack. They each grabbed their regulator and clicked in. They put their pike pole in the notch on the weighted plate above their heads before taking their first breath. Each firefighter pushed up the plate 3 times, stepped forward, hooked into the next mechanism, pulled down 5 times before they repeated it for a total of 4 sets. Once that event was complete, the three walked over to the forcible entry station. They pick up their sledge hammers and begin to pound the side of the beat up car. After completing 25 repetitions with each hand they moved onto the search tunnel and crawled in on their hands and knees

Beca entered first. "To the right." she yells to the probies as she entered the tunnel and stayed along the right wall.

Chloe enters next, repeating the command and following Beca into complete darkness followed closely by Stacie.

"Up and over!" Beca yells.

Chloe reaches the first right turn and hits the 3 inch block of wood along the width of the floor. She climbs up and over before relaying the command to Stacie.

"Down low!" Beca commands.

Chloe feels her SCBA bottle hit the top of the tunnel and sinks down to her stomach before army crawling forward. She again repeats the command to Stacie as she reaches the corner and turns right again. The low ceiling rises again for a moment as she is up on her hands and knees again before Beca shouts once more.

"Down low, tight fit!"

Again the ceiling lowers and the sides of the walls begin to come together, hugging Chloe all around. She repeats the last command before shimmying her way through the last portion of the tunnel before she hits the black plastic covering and sees daylight again.

They climb from the tunnel and stand up before making their way to the hook axes. Beca lowers her eye protection visor and begins hacking at the wood. Chloe and Stacie follow suit and complete 25 repetitions on each hand. The next event is the attic crawl. One by one they squeeze through the tiny opening making their way through the lofted wooden beams and out the other side. Chloe and Stacie reach the end and roll out of the attic crawl, following close behind Beca toward the burn building for Lines-A-loft. They climb the outside stairs to the second story and walk to the railing. They reach over to the set of ropes hanging over the railing and begin pulling up the hose bundles that are tied at the other end. After 3 sets of raising and lowering, they walk back down the stairs to the hydrants.

While these weren't actual hydrants attached to water lines, they were specifically built to be hard to turn. They each walked to a hydrant and began the 5 turns needed to complete the event. Chloe put all her weight into pushing the wrench forward, making it stop half way around before adjusting her grip and pulling it back for the first completed rotation.

The ladder raise station gave Stacie and Chloe some trouble. Their forearm muscles were burning from the sledge, axes, and lines-a-loft. Gripping the rope and raising and lowering the ladder was a struggle to grip the rope on the pulley system. The tire drag went much of the same way. Chloe and Stacie were beginning to breathe heavily and burning through air at a faster rate. Once they had dragged the tires the 50 yards down and back, they were panting heavily walking toward the tower climb. They helped each other load their high rise packs. Slipping the rope holding the extra air tanks over their SCBA's and crisscrossing each hose pack across their shoulders, they grabbed an axe and halligan and entered the doorway to the stairwell.

"Par one!" Beca yelled as she began to ascend the stairs.

"Par two!" Chloe said once she reached the same spot at the bottom of the stairs.

"Par three!" Stacie shouted, her low air pressure alarm started to beep and made her mask vibrate on her face.

At each floor, Beca would repeat the PAR call off (Personnel Accountability Roster). On floor 3, Chloe's low air alarm went off and she did her best to control her breathing. Stacie had already unhooked her regulator and was breathing heavily through the opening on the front of her mask. When they reached the top of the tower at floor 6, Chloe had to drop her halligan against the wall and unhook her regulator because she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Keep moving, let's go!" Beca said as she turned and lead the small group back down the tower.

Once at the bottom, they dropped their tools and helped each other remove the hose packs and extra bottles.

Stacie hunched over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"Stand up, Stacie." Beca said as her low air alarm started going off. "Push through it, let's go."

Beca unhooked her regulator and walked back over toward the bleachers. Stacie stood up, breathing deep and following her lieutenant and Chloe to remove their gear.

"Keep working on your cardio and do that course over and over on air until you can finish without unhooking." Beca said as she pulled her bunker pants down around her boots and tugged them off.

"You still had at least 1 to 2 minutes on your regulator when we finished." Stacie pointed out.

"Control your breathing. You two were doing fine until you got to the ladders and then everything after that you were letting your mind tell you to slow down." Beca explained. "Push through that because I guarantee in a fire you won't be able to slow down. It won't stop because you are tired and you need to catch your breath. You take your regulator off in a fire and you will drop before you have time to turn around."

Chloe and Stacie stayed quiet for a few minutes, taking in what Beca had just said. They pulled on their running shoes and cleaned up their gear before locking up the storage connex.

"Chlo I gotta head out; I'm gonna be late for my shift at the hospital." Stacie said.

"Ok." She said to Stacie and turned to Beca. "We drove together so I gotta take her home." She told Beca.

"I can take you home if you still wanna workout?" Beca suggested.

"Are you sure?"

"It's no problem."

"Well… that's great I'll do that then." Chloe said as she handed Stacie the keys. "I'll see you at home?" Chloe said to her roommate.

Stacie smiled and nodded. "Yeah I'll see you later. Thanks for your help Lieutenant."

"Just Beca. See you later Stacie." The shorter brunette said as Stacie pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the academy gates.

"So what now?" Chloe asked curiously.

Beca smirked. "Cardio."

Chloe's face fell slightly. "I'm gonna hate this, aren't I?"

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**So here is the start of the Bechloe interaction. It will progress as the story goes on so don't worry. As for this chapter... if anyone has never taken the CPAT or you don't know what it is, search youtube and it will explain the whole course. This skills course has additional/variations added into it and is what I do with my class at the academy. The only difference is it's 112 degrees outside and we don't click into air just yet.**

**Anyway. Thank you all who have sent in reviews and followed/favorited this story. Please keep the reviews coming and I'll have a new chapter for you in a day or two. Yes, I will bribe for reviews. No shame! =)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

**Sorry for the long wait everyone. Life tends to happen at the most inopportune moments, including my laptop crashing and not having the money to replace it right away. Luckily my hard drive was salvageable so I didn't lose the other chapters I wrote. Here is the next instalment. **

**Many of you expressed more dialogue between the characters. I hope this gives you your fill. As I mentioned before though, this is building. I can understand that many stories jump into relationships almost instantaneously without any real story. I can tell you I'm not that kind of writer. Attraction can happen when meeting someone but I don't believe that actual relationships happen within two days of meeting someone. Just my take but to each their own. In my story, Beca is hard to get to know. She doesn't talk much and when she does she needs to completely trust that person. That's what makes her so mysterious to Chloe. Also, the fire service is very personal for me. I have a lot of family and friends on the job and I'm training my ass off everyday to be the best firefighter I can be. Part of this story reflects mine as well as my friends experience in the academy as well as experiences doing ride-a-longs. This is what the fire service consists of. While you may not completely understand the reasoning for the little details in the story and why I go so in depth with some of it, it is for the benefit of the story so that you understand what they are doing and not just... here is this character and this character... lets have them make out and fuck and be done with it. That's a one shot and believe me this will be longer then that. So for the stories sake and my own sanity, because the one thing I can not stand is a story where you have no idea what the hell is going on, I will be adding as much detail to it as possible. That being said, let's move forward.**

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed and favorite the story as well as the few who have personally messaged me. You guys are all awesome! Keep them coming! **

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**Chapter 4**

Their cardio workout consisted of going up and down the tower about 20 times with a 45 pound weight plate and doing all sorts of calisthenics like squats, sit-ups, lunges, etc on every floor the whole way down. After, they chose to roll out the large tractor tires and continue with box jumps and sledges before finishing with a five mile run around the downtown area.

"How long have you been on the department?" Chloe asked, sucking in air as she chugged a gracious amount of water.

"Since I was 18. I got hired on right out of high school." Beca said, she too, catching her breath and taking a drink of water.

"How old are you now?" Chloe asked taking a seat next to the brunette at her spot on the bleachers.

"25."

"What made you want to join?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Beca stated with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you avoiding the question?" The redhead countered.

"Just ones that are personal."

"Umm… is there any other kind? Most people talk about their personal lives, especially when they are trying to get to know someone."

Beca studied the probie for a moment before looking back out towards the Grinder. "My mom. She was a firefighter. One of the first actually. It's what I always wanted to do even as a little kid."

Chloe smiled. She sensed that Beca didn't want to go more in depth about the subject so she answered her own question to take the light off of Beca.

"Me too. Well it was my dad who inspired me to become a firefighter. He was a big teddy bear even though he could scare everyone with how tall and buff he was. He even had the typical firefighter mustache." Chloe laughed out at the memory.

Beca smiled. "He seems like a great guy. Is he still on the department?"

Chloe sucked her lips between her teeth and shook her head. "He passed away when I was 15. He was diagnosed with lung cancer."

Beca's domineer changed instantly. "I'm so sorry Chloe."

"It's ok. I know that he's not hurting anymore, I just wish he was here to see me now, ya know?"

Beca didn't really know how to handle the situation. She wasn't good at feelings let alone sharing them with other people and she certainly wasn't good at the comfort part. All she could really do was listen, even if it was slightly uncomfortable.

"So where does Aubrey fit into all that? I'm guessing you're the older one?"

Beca laughed at that. "Yeah, she's a year younger. To tell you the truth I'm not always certain why she joined. I never really asked. We just sort of did everything together."

"She looks up to you." Chloe smiled.

"What do you mean?" The brunette asked quizzically.

"It's obvious. She adores you, Beca."

Beca thought about what Chloe had said. She and Aubrey were closer than most siblings. They did almost everything together growing up and she knew she would do anything and everything for her sister.

Chloe could tell that Beca built walls around herself that made it hard to get to know her. She also knew, just in the short amount of time that they actually had the chance to have a normal conversation, that the brunette didn't like sharing personal details. The things that she did share were vague and left a lot for interpretation but she sensed that Beca was someone who didn't trust easy. Chloe wanted to get to know her lieutenant on a more personal level but she discerned that that would require pealing back the layers.

"Do you like ice cream?" Chloe asked after Beca didn't say anything in response.

Beca turned her head, eyebrow raised, and a dumbfounded look on her face. "Uhh… yeah why?"

Chloe giggled. "Come on let's go. I know a great little place not too far from here."

Beca shrugged and the girls gathered their gear bags and headed over to Beca's truck. The drive was spent in a comfortable silence as the girls listened to music, Chloe only speaking to give directions.

Once they arrived at their destination, they hopped out of the truck and walked up to the small establishment that was tucked away in a small ally surround by little mom and pop shops. Beca opened the door and let Chloe enter before following the redhead to the counter. A woman behind the counter had her back turned and was washing some of the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Be with you in just a minute." The woman said over her shoulder, not fully glancing back to see who was there. She turned off the water and shook her hands down towards the sink before grabbing a hand towel and turning around.

"Hey Mom." Chloe said with a smile. Beca didn't even have to hear Chloe because she was the spitting image of the woman behind the counter right down to the fiery red locks to the ocean blue eyes.

"Sweetheart! What a nice surprise." She said as she came around and wrapped Chloe in a hug before turning to look at the brunette. "And who is your friend, dear?

"Mom, this is Beca. Beca, this is my mom, Mary."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Beale." Beca said with a shy smile as she held out her hand to the older woman.

Mary Beale was nothing if not like Chloe and bypassed the hand offered before wrapping the brunette into a hug as well.

"It's nice to meet you, dear." She said with a bright smile. Beca tensed at the sudden contact. If Mrs. Beale caught it she didn't show it. "Please, call me Mary."

As Mrs. Beale moved back; she smiled at her daughter and raised a questioning brow. Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head at her mother's antics. Any girl that Chloe introduce to her mom, aside from Stacie, she assumed Chloe had a crush on. Come to think of it Stacie was on that list for a long time until she finally realized Stacie and Chloe's friendship was strictly platonic.

"I'm guessing you are a Cookies 'N' Cream kind of girl, am I right, Beca?"

"How did you know?" Beca asked surprised.

"Intuition. I've been doing this for a long time." Mary laughed at Beca's raised eyebrows. "Usual sweetheart?" She turned to Chloe.

"Thanks, Mom" Chloe smiled as she sat down at an empty table.

"I've never heard of this place. How long has it been here?" Beca asked as she looked around the establishment.

It was filled with patrons, surprising to Beca because she thought she knew almost every business in Barden.

"About ten years. My parents started it up just before my Dad got sick. They loved it. When Dad wasn't on shift he was here running it with Mom."

Chloe's Mom sat a bowl full of Cookies 'N' Cream in front of Beca and handed Chloe a cone full of her favorite ice cream.

Beca snorted a laugh. Mary raised a brow and Chloe sat dumbfounded as she went to take a bite of her ice cream but didn't get the chance to pull her mouth away. Beca looked between the two still snickering.

"Of course your favorite ice cream would be Rainbow Sherbet."

Chloe giggled as she finished the bite of her ice cream while Mary just smiled at the two.

"You girls enjoy." Mary said with a smile before returning to the counter.

"This is really good!" Beca stated as she pulled the spoon from her mouth, examining the bowl.

Chloe smiled, "It's homemade."

"Serious?" Beca asked surprised, taking another spoonful of the delicious dessert.

"Mhmm." Chloe replied as she took another bite of her ice cream. "I made that batch that you're eating now."

"Beautiful and talented." Beca said before she realized what came out of her mouth. Fucking word vomit.

Chloe blushed at the comment but realized that Beca hadn't meant to say it out loud. She didn't want the brunette to feel embarrassed so she quickly replied.

"It's really easy. Come on, I'll show you."

Beca followed Chloe back behind the counter and through the kitchen door. They washed their hands in the sink before Chloe pulled some ingredients down off the shelves.

"Ever had ice cream in a bag?" The redhead asked as she pulled milk from the fridge and a bucket of ice from the ice machine.

"Nope." Beca said as she pulled herself up on the counter closest to the work station Chloe chose.

"This is the simple version of what the machine does." The probie said as she handed Beca a large ziplock bag and poured in some ice and salt.

She handed Beca a smaller bag and added milk and vanilla extract.

"Alright put the small bag into the large bag and make sure the ice surrounds it." Beca did as instructed before Chloe continued.

"Ok, shake it up until I tell you to stop."

After about five minutes, Chloe had Beca switch so she could take over. Another few minutes passed before the redhead stopped and handed the bag back to Beca.

"Take the small bag out and open it up." Chloe instructed as she grabbed two spoons from the drawer. "What do you think?"

Beca thought for a moment as she ate the concoction. "Not bad. Not as good as the Cookies 'N' Cream but not bad." The brunette finished with a teasing smile.

Chloe laughed. "Again, this was the quick version." The real art is in the slow churn."

"Well pardon me. I'll remember that for next time." The lieutenant joked.

Chloe stuck out her tongue but smiled at the banter. She was glad that Beca was finally starting to loosen up a little. They chatted ideally for a few minutes as they finished the small amount of ice cream in the bag.

"You know, if you weren't a good firefighter, I would tell you that you missed your calling." Beca teased.

"Shut up!" Chloe laughed out as she smacked Beca's thigh with the back of her hand. "You think I'm a good firefighter?" Chloe asked shyly.

"Well based off the call we had yesterday, I would say that you have the potential to be a great one someday. That was rare. To have a fire for your first call, you handled yourself really well. I didn't have to babysit you, some slight instruction maybe, but all in all you did good. I can tell that this job means a lot to you, as it should, and I know that you take this seriously. I was surprised to see you and Stacie out there training an hour after you got off shift."

"That means a lot to hear you say that." Chloe smiled.

"Just keep up the good work and you'll do fine." Beca said, a small smile as she did.

About that time the revolving door opened and Mary walked back to grab a new carton of ice cream from the freezer. She smiled at the two, not missing the quick reaction of Beca and her daughter jumping apart from the close proximity they were in.

"Sweetheart, could you write down Pistachio on the "To Make" board please?"

"Sure, Mom." The redhead said as she cleared her throat.

Beca cleaned off the counter and put away everything they had used. Once everything was clean, Chloe and Beca headed to the front.

"We are gonna head out Mom." Chloe said.

"Ok, honey. Beca, you come back anytime, alright?"

Beca gave a small smile. "I will Mrs. Be-. I mean Mary." The brunette stopped herself as Mrs. Beale raised an eyebrow.

"Be safe. Love you, Bug." Mrs. Beale said to Chloe as she and Beca exited the establishment.

"Your Mom is nice, I can see where you get it from." The lieutenant said as she opened the door to her truck so Chloe could hop in.

Chloe smile appreciatively, both at the compliment and the gesture.

"You're not so bad yourself. You're a lot different outside of work. I mean, not that you're mean or anything. I meant… I mean-"

Beca laughed. "Chloe relax. I know what you meant. You're right; I can be a hard ass because that's what I'm supposed to be. I can laugh and joke the same as everyone else. But at the end of the day, my job isn't to be your friend. I'm your leader and my job is to make sure that you, Stacie, Unicycle, Bumper, and everyone else at that house comes out of a fire alive."

"I know that. Just know that I'm happy and grateful for the opportunity to serve under you. You're a great teacher and I wanted to say thank you for today. Helping me train and everything and also for hanging out." Chloe finished,

"You're not gonna get mushy on me are you?" Beca joked.

Chloe smiled. "If I had any more of that ice cream, I would throw it at you."

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**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This was just kind of a filler/start of a friendship. It will progress so hold on to your shorts. If all goes well and I get good feedback, you can expect another chapter sometime in a few days. Chapter is already written and ready to go so comment and let me know what you think! =)**


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